AstroLearn HK
All tools

Moon Phases With Bisectors

Draw a line across the terminator (the light/dark edge) and a line from the Moon to the Sun. The horns of a crescent point away from the Sun.

Waxing — light on the right (Northern Hemisphere)

Yellow: direction to the Sun · Blue: terminator bisector

Before you start

A line through the terminator and a line toward the Sun explain the crescent ‘horns’.

Key idea

The horns of a crescent point away from the Sun. The terminator is the day/night line on the Moon.

What you see

  • Moon disk
  • Sun direction (yellow)
  • Terminator bisector (blue)

Try this

  1. Waxing crescent vs waning crescent
  2. Notice light on the right vs left

Common mistakes

  • Drawing the crescent pointing at the Sun

Glossary

Terminator
Boundary between lunar day and night.

Related tools